According to MDEA Commander Peter Arno, acting on information received earlier this week, investigators from MDEA’s Downeast District Task Force opened an investigation into the suspected manufacturing of methamphetamine by a resident of 18 Hancock St. in Ellsworth. On June 5th, with the information gathered during this investigation, agents obtained a search warrant for an apartment located inside of 18 Hancock St., along with a 1999 cargo van and a dumpster, both which were located adjacent to the apartment building, Arno said.

Specially trained agents from around the state, along with a state of Maine chemist, collected a substantial amount of evidence during the search, said Arno. All the evidence collected was indicative of meth manufacturing using a process commonly referred to as a “one pot” or “shake and bake” method. As a precaution, all residents of the apartment building were evacuated during the search by the lab team.

MDEA was assisted at this scene by the Hancock County Emergency Management Agency, Ellsworth Police and Fire Department, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department and Hancock County EMS.

According to Arno, charged thus far in connection with this investigation are: